It's been over 8 years since I started giving a damn about working out and eating healthy. I think before you read this article is important to know: you don't have to change everything overnight. I'm a research queen and I love finding resolutions that help our bodies, our hormones and the planet.
However, at some point it can be overwhelming to do everything 'perfectly' that you freak out and don't try at all. With reading this blog, choose just one thing you think would benefit you MOST and implement it. Then, using trial and error, see what works best for you and keep trying to improve little by little. This blog is 8 years in the making essentially.
Second, I have paid for all of these products with my own money. In this day and age though, you can ask almost any company for an affiliate link (highly recommend doing this!) so you can earn a commission for recommending a product you already love! If I have an affiliate link for a product it will be posted along with its description.
ORGANIC OLIVIA: if you follow me on social media, I have most def mentioned this gal and her wisdom. Anything she suggests I will do because she teaches so much about why she creates her products, what they do and backs it up with studies and tradition (traditional Chinese medicine to be exact). If you go to her IG, her story bubbles are filled with endless resources of info that relate to hormones, acne, PCOS, covid, and more. Because of Olivia, I know how the liver works, how it connects to digestion, estrogen and can essentially self diagnose whats going wrong with me because TCM and OO make so much sense. Again, this is taking years of listening to her IG, podcasts and reading other resources. Any who--this is a brand I trust again because of the free information she provides. I've been using OO supplements for a few years and have LOVED every single one, but I do have some favorites!
On her website OO has a description of each product that I will link to:
Liver Juice: if you drink alcohol, have acne, hormonal issues, or just live in todays world then you need this! Our liver detoxes EVERYTHING, from our environment to what we eat and drink. It needs help, believe me. I put liver juice in my tea or juice daily.
Digestive Juice: did you know that our brain signals our stomach to create juices/enzymes that help break down the food you eat and digest? But sometimes our bodies have a hard time producing these juices which leads to poor digestion, so a great way to help your body produce them is with bitters. I use digestive juice 15 before every meal. Its been a great way to cut down on unnecessary snacking too because I have to think "do I want to waste 3 squirts of digestive juice for this Unreal PB cup?". (please check this link to see what else digestive juice does)
Not Your Average Probiotic: I feel like we've all been told we need a probiotic, and it's because it's true, we do! Especially if you've ever been prescribed an antibiotic in your life, or are living through this pandemic, or have digestive issues. I like that hers doesn't need to be kept in the fridge and that I can just add it on to whatever else I have in my shopping cart on her site.
Adrenal Recovery: In August our dog was run over (he's alive thank GOD!), but it was the most stress I have felt in a really long time. You know that physical stress where not even breathing exercises can calm you down. I could physically feel my cortisol (the chemical that gives you that fight or flight feeling) was through the roof. When I got home from the pet hospital, I religiously took Adrenal recovery 3x a day and it helped SO much. We are living in a vv stressful time and I think we ALL could benefit from having herbs that aid our adrenals.
ImmuneShroom: I feel like mushrooms are having their moment. Between finding out that micro dosing is helping depressing, or using mushrooms in your favorite recipe, there's no doubt there is a healing effect. Immuneshroom is the best way to have your immunity supported year round. As someone with a tick borne illness, I know there are many benefits from taking variations of mushrooms daily.
ParaPro: I heard a quote once "If you have a pulse, you have a parasite". This is true! We deworm our dogs, why don't we deworm ourselves? Unless you plan to inspect your poo (no thanks), you really have no reason to be grossed out by eliminating parasites. I have been doing cleanses for a few years now. I like to do a hardcore parasite cleanse (I use Dr. Clarks Paracleanse) and then I use OO ParaPro as a maintenance through out the year. I especially love to use it during a full moon which is when parasites are most active. Parasite cleanses help your gut health, bloating, fatigue and energy (all which I can vouch for!).
Affiliate Link: click here
BRANCH BASICS: You know how the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" used Windex on EVERYTHING?! Well thats a movie, and windex is toxic so I'm not sure how that affected them in the long run--BUT, Branch Basics is the nontoxic version of this. You can literally use it on EVERYTHING. I mean it! Here is a list of what I use Branch Basics for:
an all purpose household cleaner
bathroom cleaner
rug clear
stain remover
laundry detergent
fruit/veggie wash
hand wash
dish detergent
makeup brush cleaner
pet wash
glass cleaner
AND SO MUCH MORE! Branch Basics is human safe, plant and mineral based, fragrance free, no harmful preservatives, biodegradable, not tested on animals, and non GMO (hence making it safe to use for everything!). I love that they share so much knowledge on their IG about non toxic living and blog about their favorite stuff to use. Branch Basics is created by 3 women who have lived through some health ailments and came out the other side through living a non toxic life.
The kit is ridiculously affordable. They give you the Branch Basics solution and a bunch of empty bottles (one for all purpose, one for glass, one for bathroom and one for laundry) to fill and refill as needed. The only thing you need to reorder in the future is the solution. This is for sure the item I use the most daily.
Affiliate link: click here
Who Gives A Crap: Toilet paper was the last thing I thought about when it came to a non toxic lifestyle. It's something we all use, and before I was suggested this company, I was just trying to save money on TP. I was going to the dollar store to get the best deal on it and posted it on IG when a friend suggested: Who gives a crap! This is a company that started because they saw the need for proper toilets for adults and children in underdeveloped countries. 50% of Who Gives a Crap's proceeds go to building toilets for those who need it. Their products are plastic free (their packaging is ADORABLE and they even give you fun ideas you can do to reuse the TP roll and wrapping), no dyes or scents (which ladies this is VERY important to our lady parts health), the paper is recycled and BONUS: their 48 roll order ends up being $48 (take THAT dollar store!).
It's been just me and my fiancee in our cabin and we have only ordered TWICE from them in one year. The stuff lasts long, it's 3 ply so just as good as store bought toilet paper, it's nontoxic and they are doing great things. Check them out and save $10 with this link (they also have paper towels and tissues which I recommend too).
Pique Tea: Over the years I've tried to be that tea gal. I was never into coffee but loved the thought of a warm drink (especially on a cold snowy day). In the past I've only drank tea for detox purposes which kind of gave me a negative association with the stuff. Then this year I heard a podcast where a doctor talked about the amazing benefits women specifically get from green tea (main point is it helps to prevent breast cancer) and also your gut health (which I'm always trying to work on). The doctor mentioned his favorite brand was Pique Tea because of it's high quality. So I ordered some, first some matcha green powder and it was a very 'earthy' experience to say the least (LOL). But then I saw some different flavors like the Passion Fruit green tea and Tumeric too! I will say it takes time for your taste buds to get used to tea, but once it's there, game on! Pique tea has high standards: their teas are triple screened for pesticides, heavy metals and toxic mold. I'm still testing out my favorites, but can't recommend enough to sip on one of their tea when you feel like snacking.
Beauty Counter: For our hormones and health as women, it is SO important to choose clean products when it comes to beauty. When choosing a new product in the store or online I always use my EWG Healthy Living app (Environmental Working Group non profit that vets products for you. Download it on your phone now!). You can scan the barcode of a product and it will rate how toxic it is from 1-10 (I always choose within the 1-3 range). All of Beauty Counter's products are EWG certified so you can get your face makeup, skin care regimen, body wash and more from them and not have to worry if what you're putting on your body is causing you harm or not. Some of my favorites that I have gotten from Beauty Counter are:
Countertime Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil
Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream
Dew Skin Tinted Moustrizer
Brozner
Skin Twin Featherlight Foundation
Daily Shampoo & Conditioner
I find that it can be overwhelming and you want to replace ALL your products at once. If you feel this way just try buying something from BC once you run out of your current product.
Beauty Counter has a direct sales part of their business. This means that you can buy directly from their site and if you know someone who is a consultant, they get 25% of the sale (score!). I am not a consultant but would like to leave the names of 3 women I know that are. These are all everyday women like you and I, who are running a side hustle, so support them! When you checkout for your BC purchase, you have the option to enter a consultants name:
Ashley Glod-Hayes: my future sister in law, mom of 3 and teacher in NY
Megan Bradish: High school friend, mom of 2
FOXYFLEET INC.: Julie Morgan, celebrity makeup artist based out of NYC/NJ
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